Hakeem Jeffries: Nancy Pelosi’s likely successor formally declares Democratic leadership bid

Republicans are set to hold an extremely slim majority in the House of Representatives

Nancy Pelosi steps down as Democratic leader after losing House

With the Republican Party projected to win a slim majority in the US House of Representatives and Nancy Pelosi stepping down from the Democratic leadership, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries has officially declared he is running for his party’s top job – and so far, he is unopposed.

In an emotional address on the House floor on Thursday, Ms Pelosi said lawmakers “must move boldly into the future” and remain “open to fresh possibilities.” She will continue to serve her district as the congresswoman representing San Francisco, but she will not seek re-election to a leadership role.

Current House minority leader Kevin McCarthy has already cleared the first hurdle toward being elected House Speaker but with more than 30 of his members declining to back him.

The Republican was notably absent from Ms Pelosi’s announcement in the lower chamber – a rebuke after several other GOP figures turned out to join Democrats in applauding the long-running lawmaker.

When asked by reporters why he missed the speech, he claimed he “had meetings”.

Key points

• Nancy Pelosi will not seek re-election for Democratic leadership
• Republicans win control of the House
• Senate Republicans re-elect Mitch McConnell as minority leader
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer celebrates Democrats holding the Senate
• Kevin McCarthy clears first test in bid to become House speaker

[17 November 2022 19:45 · Alex Woodward]

Democrats line up behind Hakeem Jeffries as next House minority leader

Top Democrats are coalescing their support behind longtime Democratic caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries to be the head of a new-look team that will lead Democrats after two decades under the trio of Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

[17 November 2022 20:00 · Alex Woodward]

Democratic Rep Eric Swalwell brings daughter to House floor for Nancy Pelosi’s leadership farewell speech

Congressman Eric Swalwell brought his daughter to the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday morning to watch as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she would step down from her leadership position at the conclusion of this Congress.

He was one of a substantial number of Democrats and a handful of Republicans who came to the floor to hear the longtime Democratic leader give her farewell address. Both Mr Swalwell and Ms Pelosi represent California in the House, with Ms Pelosi’s district covering the city of San Francisco and Mr Swalwell’s covering a portion of the East Bay.

[17 November 2022 20:15 · Alex Woodward]

AOC tells The Independent how Democrats should look to the future after Pelosi’s leadership

Recently re-elected New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells The Independent that the Democratic Party should retain its core principles but “move to greater independence from large corporate donors.”

“I would like to see a greater shift toward everyday small-dollar diverse sources of funding,” she added.

[17 November 2022 20:30 · Alex Woodward]

An incoming House Republican who helped the GOP flip the House tweets ‘Fire Pelosi’ sign minutes after speech

Moments after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed lawmakers to announce she would end her two decades of Democratic leadership, a recently elected Republican from Wisconsin posted a photo on Twitter pointing to a sign reading “FIRE PELOSI.”

“Promises Made. Promises Kept,” Derrick Van Orden wrote.

Mr Van Orden attended Donald Trump’s rally on 6 January, 2021 before marching to the Capitol, where a mob breached the halls of Congress to forcibly reject the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

He never entered the building that day. But he is among at least two new members of Congress who attended the January 6 rally that spiralled into chaos, with members of the mob raiding Ms Pelosi’s office and chanting her name as they stormed the halls.

[17 November 2022 21:00 · Alex Woodward]

Biden hails Pelosi as ‘most consequential’ Speaker in US history

President Joe Biden said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would be remembered in the future as the “most consequential” leader of the lower House of Representatives in US history.

[17 November 2022 21:30 · Alex Woodward]

‘In a room of men’: Inspiring photo of Pelosi goes viral as she calls for more women in power after departure

In a fitting moment for the sole woman to hold the role as speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi welcomed the embrace of a young girl who attended her remarks in the lower chamber of Congress on Thursday, harkening back to the moment in 2019 when she was sworn in as leader next to a group of children on the dais alongside her.

Throughout her the past two decades leading House Democrats, and dating back even further, when, as she characterised it on Thursday, she made the transition from “home maker to House speaker”, Ms Pelosi has served as an exemplar to women wanting to break through the seemingly uncrackable glass ceiling in politics.

That point was roundly celebrated on Thursday in the immediate aftermath of Ms Pelosi announcing her departure as a viral image from her time during the Trump administration made its rounds online again, this time serving a different message.

Johanna Chisholm reports:

[17 November 2022 22:00 · Alex Woodward]

Chuck Schumer honours Pelosi in Senate speech

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hailed outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a trailblazer who “transformed practically every corner of American politics and unquestionably made America a better, stronger nation.”

Mr Schumer and his caucus will retain control of the upper chamber of Congress next year, holding at least 50 seats in the 100-seat Senate. A runoff election between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker next month could give Democrats a 51st seat to solidify Democrats’ majority.

[17 November 2022 23:00 · Alex Woodward]

‘Good riddance!’: Boebert celebrates Pelosi’s retirement from leadership

Very few House Republicans took time out of their day to watch Nancy Pelosi reveal her plans for the 118th Congress, but some members took the occasion of the first woman to lead the House stepping down to issue crass missives on social media to celebrate her departure.

[18 November 2022 00:00 · Alex Woodward]

Marjorie Taylor Greene dodges question about most fentanyl being smuggled by US citizens – not migrants

Far-right Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene dodged a question from The Independent when asked about her claims regarding the source of fentanyl crossing the US-Mexico border.

When asked about the fact that most fentanyl comes not from illegal border crossings but from legal ports of entry from American citizens, Ms Greene dodged the question.

“I would ask for where’s your proof on that because that’s not what we’ve been shown,” she said. “When we go to the border and we’re speaking with border patrol agents, when we’re on the ground, that’s not at all what we are being told.”

Then citing a study from the CATO Institute, a libertarian organisation that cited US government data, she rebuffed the study.

“The CATO Institute is not the border patrol,” she said.

[18 November 2022 00:34 · Josh Marcus]

As Boebert race heads to likely recount, is it the end of more than one era in the House?

Nancy Pelosi may not be the only one leaving her high-profile post in Congress.

In Colorado, far-right Republican Lauren Boebert has faced an unexpectedly close race from challenger Adam Frisch.

Their election is likely heading to a recount, according to election forecasters.

Ms Boebert, one of the more visible ultra-MAGA Republicans in the House, has frequently antagonised Ms Pelosi, and celebrated her exit from the post of House Speaker earlier today.

Here’s our report.